An Apprentice Without Magic, page 27
part #2 of Magic Missing Series
“Was she carrying a valise of some kind?”
“Maybe,” Jak said. “Yes, yes she was because I remembered it seemed to be large, but light. She carried it like it didn’t weigh a thing.”
“A strong woman, then?”
Jak shrugged. “I suppose so. I can’t say much more. I must have been in a different part of the building when she left. I don’t remember seeing her again that night.”
Sam looked at Dickey.
“Does the night staff work in a single room?” Dickey asked.
“They do. I can show you. No one is there right now.”
Sam wondered if any of the pink pollen would be intact, but it wouldn’t hurt to look, and he was sure that was what Dickey was after.
The curtains were drawn to let more light into the large room on the second floor. It was adjacent to the stairway leading to the third, fourth and fifth floors.
Sam got down on his hands and knees looking for traces of the stuff. He realized that someone had been in to clean, but in the corner of a desk, he spotted a trace of pink pollen.
After perusing every desk and drawer, Sam found more traces of the stuff. It was already beginning to deteriorate, but it was definitely pink pollen.
“I don’t need Antina to verify this,” Dickey said, “since this is not our case. We just want to know.”
“For future reference,” Sam said.
“Precisely.” Dickey looked at Hander. “One quick tour of the grounds you share with Royal Recorder.”
They went to the back of the buildings. An alley ran right next to the buildings. No gardens for the commercial district, thought Sam.
He examined the grounds right below where the arsonist had moved from building to building and found tiny chunks of pollen in between masonry joints that had already lost their mortar. Sam looked up, and the chunks stopped close to where the ledges would have been.
Dickey put some in an envelope. “Antina Mulch will be looking at these,” he said. “These are pretty dense. I think I could make something like this, but it would take some time, since a few chunks are sticky.”
“Pollen glue?” Sam asked.
“Never heard of such a thing,” Hander said.
“They do a lot more with pollen in Polistia than Holding,” Sam said. “My court language tutor is a Polistian, and we have been using her to verify what some of the pollen artifacts are.”
Hander chuckled. “You have a snoop tutor and an all-things-Polistian tutor, then. What other boy can say such a thing?”
Sam felt uncomfortable about the praise, but Hander seemed as sincere as anyone he had met.
“Thank you. I will now tell you that our investigation will be taken over by some group within the Ministry of Justice. They may or may not ask you any questions. Please tell them that we went through all of this yesterday, if you would.”
Hander raised his eyebrows. “You want me to lie for you?”
“I’m sure you understand our position. Being a principal in a shipping company, you understand the importance of dates and inspections.”
Hander nodded. “I do. I won’t lie, but I can adjust the truth, just a little by how I respond. Will that do?”
Dickey smiled, but it wasn’t sincere. Sam could tell the difference, even if no one else could. “It will.”
Chapter Thirty-One
~
“D o I have to tell you how to write the report?” Dickey said, standing in front of his desk.
Sam shook his head. “We conducted our final investigation yesterday, including our interview with Jak and the inspection of the grounds below the file room.”
“Precisely. Hander is a bit of an optimist,” Dickey said.
“Maybe so, but he is an honorable man, as far as I can tell. He was one of Harrison Dimple’s supporters.”
“And he was at a low enough level that he didn’t have to worry about offending the king too much,” Dickey said. “Some of his higher-level friends didn’t survive Dimple’s banishment. It wasn’t a pretty time. I was younger then, but old enough to know exactly what was going on. I think you can trust your Hander, as much as you can anyone.”
“That is how I feel. Not everything is under their control, though. I am sure he encouraged Jenna, his daughter, to become my friend, but look what happened there.”
Dickey shook his head. “She spurned you, and that’s all I want to know. But I think that is a good lesson. You can be friends with someone in a family, but that doesn’t mean you are buddies with everyone. It took me more painful lessons to learn that than it did you. You did learn that, didn’t you?”
“I did,” Sam said, “and much earlier than you think. There were members of my family growing up who accepted me and some who didn’t, even though I thought they did. I don’t think it was any less painful than your experiences.”
“Ah. You did tell me about your mother and your brother Mark.”
“And my father and Tru’s indifference. Addy, my sister, joined them. But it was much too easy for my mother to let me go.”
Dickey nodded. “We both learned the lesson when we were young.” He took a deep breath. “Enough of that personal stuff. You get that report written, and we will present the written report and the real report to Bentwick this afternoon.”
Sam nodded and got to work. Right after lunch, they were in Bentwick’s office. Dickey gave the report, and Sam showed Bentwick the pollen samples.
“Should these go to the Ministry of Justice?” Sam asked.
Bentwick snorted. “No need. I’ll go through this,” he lifted up Sam’s report, “and make the appropriate edits before you make the final copy. I can’t say I’m surprised that you make a good team,” he said. “No one else in the Investigative Division would produce a result like this. Some of it is due to Sam’s uniqueness, and the other is investigative teamwork. I can see it in the report. Keep up the good work.”
Sam extended the session by explaining his idea for spyglasses. He had two in his things and promised to give Dickey one of them.
“ I don’t need one of those glasses,” Dickey said.
“What will you do when I’m gone?”
“Are you going someplace?” Dickey asked.
Sam shook his head. “I could be transferred to a city or a town constabulary. You’ll always be in Baskin because of your lineage. I’m not sure I belong here,” Sam admitted.
“I understand. I’ll happily accept one of your spyglasses,” Dickey said. “When the time is right, Chief Bentwick and I will get them made up for the other snoops.”
Sam nodded. “It shouldn’t be a secret,” he said. “If more people could see pollen better, maybe it might help stop unscrupulous people like Banna Plunk.”
“Maybe,” Dickey said. “You’ve done enough for today. Take the rest of the day off and play with your dog.”
Sam left the office and headed to thank Chief Constable Bentwick for sending his daughter to the hospital.
“He is just doing paperwork. You can go right in,” Bentwick’s secretary said.
Sam knocked once and opened the door. The chief stood up and pointed to a chair in front of his desk.
“Good to see you are back at work. Dickey said you two had a very productive two days.”
Sam nodded. “I hope it wasn’t for naught with the case transfer.”
Bentwick’s expression darkened. “Dickey did the right thing extending yesterday for a few more hours.”
“I’d like to thank you for sending Winnie to the hospital. She was there when I woke up.”
Bentwick furrowed his brow. “Send Winnie? I did no such thing.” He shook his head. “That girl. I’ll have to have a talk with her. She helped?”
Sam shrugged. “It was nice to wake up to a familiar face. She accepted my apologies for not attending dinner last weekend.”
Bentwick pursed his lips. “The offer is still open if you are up to it.”
“I am. I promise I’ll be there this time.”
“Good lad. Be wary of Winnie,” Bentwick said. “She is a strong-minded girl. Don’t get pushed into anything you don’t want to do.”
“Chief Constable, I am not experienced with girls—”
“As you said. Make sure you remain that way.”
The comment shocked Sam, but then Bentwick started laughing. “I’m just fooling with you, lad. Winnie’s got a good head on her shoulders, and she likes you. There are not many boys that she does. Just keep a cool head.”
Sam nodded. “I will. Thank you, sir.”
“Don’t mention it. I thank you for your thank you.” The Chief Constable flicked his hand, and Sam was soon on the streets heading home.
Winnie stayed in his mind for a bit, but then once he entered the local butcher shop, Emmy replaced her. Sam squinted up into the clear cold sky and decided to take Emmy for a walk. Not too far, but he was sure the Great Sanchian Hound would like to get out of the back garden.
He dropped the meat off in the kitchen and grabbed Emmy’s leash. Sam had no illusions about his dog. If Emmy wanted to go in any direction, there was little Sam could do to stop her.
He exited out the back door, waiting for Emmy to come bounding towards him, but the back garden was empty. Sam checked the two outbuildings and then ran back into the house and quickly toured every room. Emmy was gone.
He sat in the kitchen and took some deep breaths as he sat down, wondering what to do. He had to calm down enough to think clearly. Maybe Tru had come home early, too, and had the same idea he had. He walked back to the garden and decided to approach Emmy’s appearance the way a snoop would.
He ducked back into both rooms that led directly into the garden and couldn’t see anything of use, and then he methodically examined the ground. His first pass didn’t produce any results, but before he headed to Tru’s workshop behind Antina’s shop, he put on his spectacles and began his second pass.
Towards the bottom of the garden next to the alley, he spotted something he didn’t want to see, a few traces of yellow pollen and some pink pollen had settled on the grass. He ran back into the house for tweezers and an envelope. Sam didn’t have any expectations that Tru had taken Emmy for a walk. His hound had been stolen, and although he knew what Antina would tell him, he had to verify the fact that Banna Plunk had retrieved her dog.
~
“I’m sorry,” Tru said, looking over Antina’s shoulder as she viewed the pollen with her own magnifying glass.
Antina shook her head. “It is the same stuff. Using other animal’s pollen to control a dog would be a typical Vaarekian thing to do, but not a pretty one.” She laid down the glass and looked at Sam, who sat across the table. “I’m sorry. Do you think it is Banna Plunk?”
Sam took a deep breath. “Who else? She knows the dog because I am sure she saw Emmy with me. If she is in league with the Minister of Justice, which I am not sure of, then she knows I worked on the case, and that I have intimate knowledge of what she was doing with the Fealty Mining Company.”
“But what does that have to do with Emmy?” Tru asked.
“Good question,” Sam said. “Maybe she blames me for the deaths of her other Great Sanchians and has retrieved Emmy. I don’t know how the woman’s mind works.”
Antina chuckled. “Neither do I, and I am from the same culture.” She looked at Sam’s face and quieted and sighed. “I don’t know how to help you.”
Sam nodded. Tru returned to his work, but Antina shoved a thin volume into his hands. “This might be a diversion for you. It came into my hands quite by chance some time ago.”
He put it in an inside pocket of his coat and left.
The day hadn’t quite ended. Sam returned to the constabulary and plopped down in his usual seat facing Dickey.
“I thought I sent you home for the day,” Dickey said.
“I have reason to believe that Banna Plunk stole Emmy from my house.” He tossed the envelope of pollen on the desk. “I even had Antina Mulch look at it. Same stuff.”
Dickey narrowed his eyes and peeked in the envelope. “Looks the same. She used deer pollen on Emmy?”
“And yellow pollen. Maybe it made her more docile. Antina said that it is something a Vaarekian would think of. I’m at a loss on how to proceed.”
Dickey smiled. “A case has just dropped into your lap that allows us to pursue the Plunk lady that has nothing to do with the Royal Recorder’s arson. Go up front and file a complaint, but don’t put her name down or the fact that pollen was used and analyzed, then get back here.”
Sam did as Dickey asked.
“Lost dog, eh?” the desk sergeant said. The man sighed. “Here is the form. Fill it out, and I’ll stamp it in. If it were any other boy and his dog, I wouldn’t bother.”
“Thank you,” Sam said.
He filled out the form and returned it.
“I didn’t realize the huge brute was so valuable!” the man said when he saw how much Emmy was worth. The desk sergeant gave Sam a slip of paper that had a case number and the date. When Dickey looked at the paper, he rose from his desk.
“An end-of-the-day present to our illustrious Chief Constable. Come with me.”
Bentwick was in with the Head Constable, so they had to wait for a while, but the Chief Constable finally showed up.
“Dickey, I thought you sent Sam home, but he shows up at my doorstep before I leave for the day.”
“Bad news, good news, Chief,” Dickey said.
Bentwick sighed. “At least a glimmer of good news.” He showed them into his office.
Dickey presented the slip of paper to him.
“And this is?” He read it and looked at Sam. “Emmy has been stolen?”
Sam solemnly nodded his head and described his afternoon.
“And there is good news?” Bentwick said, looking at Dickey.
“We have an excuse to go after the arsonist.”
Bentwick showed a smile. “But not the arsonist. Banna Plunk, the dog thief. I’m not going to call that lucky, but it is timely. The Head Constable emphatically reiterated that you are not to investigate the arson any further. He was reinforcing Minister Bolt’s directive. I assume you aren’t beneath snooping around for Emmy’s abductor or abductress in this case?”
“I won’t take the assignment behind your back, sir.”
Bentwick snorted. “Sir. I don’t know the last time you used that address. You have my blessing. Since Sam is the injured party and your charge, I think it would be good training for him to accompany you in your duties. I don’t see a conflict.” He turned to Sam. “Are you comfortable pursuing this investigation, even if it involves the Minister of Justice?”
“I am. Even if we find out Banna Plunk was the perpetrator.”
Bentwick laughed. “Even if?”
~
Sam and Dickey returned to the place of the crime. Emmy had not returned. Sam poked around, finding another little clump of pollen. He showed it to Dickey.
“Now I can witness the location where the pollen was found. That will help when we write this up.”
“But if Banna has the protection of the Minister of Justice, then she won’t come to trial.”
“Not if the Minister of Justice is implicated,” Dickey said. “I have been thinking, and a few ideas have blossomed. Look around for footprints that aren’t yours, Tru’s or mine.”
They spent the rest of the time until dark. Dickey found a good print close to the back gate. “Measure and sketch, apprentice,” he said.
“It is the same size as the arsonist, but the shoe is different.”
“Of course,” Dickey said. “The woman wouldn’t wear the same shoe for a burglary that she would for strolling down the streets of Baskin. Now the unpleasant part. First thing in the morning, we will have to find a witness who saw a woman with Emmy close to your house walking in the opposite direction.”
Sam wrote notes about the process. He hadn’t thought about finding other witnesses when he was framing how he’d find Emmy on his own. He had to remind himself that he was still an apprentice on a case, and since he knew who had abducted Emmy and how it had stopped him thinking about proving it.
“I’ll be here first thing in the morning. No need to begin work at the constabulary,” Dickey said.
Sam headed to the butcher shop before it closed and asked the butcher if he had seen Emmy on the street earlier in the day.
“No. Has she run away?” the butcher asked.
“Someone took her.”
The butcher shook his head. “How could anyone force that horse of a dog to do anything it didn’t want to?”
“There are ways,” Sam said, sorrowfully. “I’d like something to cook for dinner, but nothing for my dog.”
The butcher brightened. “I have just gotten in some lamb chops. It will be the last time this year until later this spring. Last spring’s lambs aren’t lambs anymore. I’ll give them to you for free.”
Sam nodded. “Where do you get your mutton from?”
“There is a feedlot a few miles outside the North gate. It deals with lamb and specialty meats. Exotic stuff.”
“Thanks,” Sam said. He accepted the lamb chops with a forced smile and headed home.
Tru finally returned from work and sat on the couch, watching Sam thinking in his usual perch in one of the overstuffed easy chairs.
“I’ll cook dinner. What did you get?”
“Lamb chops. The last until later in the spring,” Sam said. “It appears this year’s lambs have become sheep.”
Tru jumped to his feet and headed to the kitchen, while Sam continued to stew. He thought of Banna Plunk and how they were engaged in a battle, not much different from the summer, except this time, the woman had struck him personally. Sam couldn’t figure out a motive. Did she take Emmy to punish him? Did she have some need for her? Was this a personal attack?
He couldn’t come up with a satisfactory answer. Tru called him to dinner. Sam sat down to see fried lamb chops sitting in a bed of thinly sliced fried potatoes.
“We will have to hurry and eat before the fat congeals,” Tru said. “That’s the problem with mutton and lamb.”
Sam nodded. He tasted Tru’s cooking. The meat hadn’t yet acquired the strong mutton taste of a more mature animal. “The butcher says he gets his meat from a feedlot north of Baskin.”
